Picked up a random poetry book From the crowded shelf. Quick easy hour read: Delight and wonder. Then, Found…
12 Days of Mindful Tips + Resources: Day 11 “Pipers Piping”
Today is all about pausing for mindfulness in the midst of busyness: “On the eleventh day of Christmas,/ My true love sent to me/ eleven pipers piping,” (The 12 Days of Christmas lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company).
The pipers can symbolize all of your daily interruptions that keep you from being self-aware and grounded in your hope.
During the past ten days, we have focused on:
- Ten Lords a Leaping=Finding Joy
- Nine Ladies Dancing=Move for your heart, mind, soul
- Eight Maids a Milking=Finding purpose for each day.
- Seven Swans a Swimming=Self-transformation or Making Positive Changes
- Six Geese a Laying=6 Pillars of Self-Esteem (Mission Statement)
- Five Golden Rings=Promises/Goals for yourself (SMART Goals)
- Four=Identifying a Life Line Person
- Three French Hens=Heart, Mind, Soul
- Two Turtle Doves=Discovering Needs vs Wants
- One Partridge in a Pear Tree=Hope
Throughout your day, you have “pipers piping” or alarms, notifications, reminders constantly blasting horns at you:
- Morning alarm
- Social Media updates- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Linkedin,…
- Fitbit nudges to get up and move
- Pharmacy refill notifications
- Email alerts
- Calendar reminders
- Store coupons for instant savings
- Breaking local and world news
- Groupon specials for your favorite restaurants or activities
- Messages from your child’s school
- To Do lists
Meanwhile, you are so consumed with everything happening, you miss out on simple moments to feel peace, gratitude, and love. Authors from mindful.org, explain, “It’s estimated that 95% of our behavior runs on autopilot—something I call ‘fast brain.’ That’s because neural networks underlie all of our habits, reducing our millions of sensory inputs per second into manageable shortcuts so we can function in this crazy world…” (Bobinet, Bradley, & et. al.).
In contrast to surviving day to day, learn to be mindful instead. Mindfulness is being aware of yourself. Mindfulness may seem like a double-edged sword at times depending on how you think about it on any given day. You have to want to be mindful without it seeming like one more task.
Being mindful is being aware of yourself. “You don’t have to be stuck in these patterns. Pausing to practice mindfulness for just a few minutes at different times during the day can help your days be better, more in line with how you’d like them to be,” (Bobinet, Bradley, & et. al.).
In short, you can choose to ignore your pipers piping! You have control over how and when you respond to different things. Just remind yourself to stop, like two minutes every other hour or so, to just be you. Focus on your breathing; reflect on your physical and emotional feelings; question why you are feeling that way and how you can improve.
Day eleven’s assignment:
- Slow down your reactions to people and events. Think before you act. Do you mean to sound upset when you are just in a hurry but someone stops to ask you a question?
- Take one thing at a time; focus on each task, each meeting, each notification as you want to without letting them take away from your self-awareness. Do not let the pipers become such a nuisance that you find no joy, no moments of peace throughout the day.
- Give yourself time each day to just be aware of yourself and your surroundings without judgement. Read, write in a journal, draw pictures, listen to quiet music, go for a walk, try yoga or meditation… just schedule yourself time to do what you want to do… do what you need to do to find your daily joy.
- Remember, your joy, your self-awareness, your confidence, all stem from your hope. Your root system is there to keep you grounded.
Here are some suggestions from mindful.org (visit their page for more specific information about each one):
- “Mindful Wakeup: Start with a Purpose”
2. “Mindful Eating: Enjoy Every Mouthful”
3. “Mindful Pause: Rewire Your Brain”
4. “Mindful Workout: Activate Your Mind and Your Muscles”
5. “Mindful Driving: Drive Yourself Calm, Not Crazy” (Bobinet, Bradley, & et. al.).
Pipers piping are okay in certain contexts, but you do not need to hear them all of the time. Keep your pipers in check, in moderation, and in your control. Personal growth means you have to decide what and when things are important to you.
I will leave you with a final thought before our 12th day tomorrow:
References:
Bobinet, K., Bradley, C., Goldstein, E., Hauck, C., & Pal, P. (2018, December 13). “5 Simple Mindfulness Practices for Daily Life”. Foundation for a Mindful Society. Retrieved from: https://www.mindful.org/take-a-mindful-moment-5-simple-practices-for-daily-life/.